Finger Lakes Tatting Convention

They sent the registration package out yesterday for the Finger Lakes Tatting Convention.  It used to be called the Hector Tatting Seminar but since its moved to a new location in Lodi they've used a new name.  The fire hall in Lodi is a little bigger and a little better laid out.  Plus its closer to the outlet mall! 
Its on the 14th and 15th of April which is a Saturday, Sunday combination.  If you're never been its a great experience and the food is really good!  (food is very important to me)

I'm excited to be teaching again this year. My project is a bracelet with dimpled hearts and beads. Its a great opportunity to try out using the Balanced Double Stitch (BDS) and see the difference between a BDS and a ds. The bracelet length is easily shortened for smaller wrists and was approved by my 6 year old niece Julia. Since she is very particular about her jewelry I thought it was a good sign.   Each year I have a really hard time trying to figure out what class to take.  Teaching makes it so I can only take the long classes but I'm still having a hard time deciding.  
To make it easier for anyone planning to attend I've provided pictures of my project The Hearty Bracelet. 

Hearty Bracelet laid out flat. 

Close up on my wrist

Catching up

Its so annoying that its been 3 weeks since my last post.  I never seem to have everything to together at the right times.  I've also been busy trying to catch up to everything that happened over the holidays and we've had some big projects at the clinic to finish.   We're trying to get ahead of the game.
The coolest thing happened on New Year's eve.  I went with my friends Salima and Hafeez to the Congress Center for the New Year's Eve Gala.  The evening was dinner, live band and door prizes.   The prizes were  LCBO baskets (booze),  a suite at the next Toronto- Ottawa Hockey game with all beverages and food included and  a trip for 2 to the Iberostar Bravura in Punta Cana Dominican Republic!   The other people at the table were laughing at us as we negotiated what to do if we win.  We never win these things but its fun to imagine winning.  
Since we never win we were not really paying attention to what we won when our number came up.  I gave the ticket to Hafeez to go pick up the prize.  He`s big hockey fan and was so disappointed when he realised it wasn`t the hockey tickets that he didn`t listen when they told him what we won.  He had no clue!  Everyone kept congratulating us so we sent back to find out what the prize was and it was the trip!  Seriously.
So we`re shutting down the clinic on March 24th-31st and going on a trip.  Salima didn`t want to go without Hafeez and her son Ayan so we`ve purchase a few extra tickets.  This way we can all go and it`ll be a half price trip! 
That`s why we`re all trying really hard to get everything done in January that we usually take 3 months to do!
  

Welcome to 2012!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

May 2012 bring you lots of happiness, love, family prosperity and unity.



My morning and some pictures

On the way into work this morning I realised that I had not brushed my teeth. So I ran to the drug store before going to the clinic. I felt much better once my teeth were clean and thought I would share some Christmas pictures with you.

My decorated Christmas tree.  I must have been hungry because most of the ornaments are deserts of some type!



Cake send to Mosque for a bake sale.




My Secret Santa package that I sent out.  I haven't taken a picture of the one I received yet.



Pink snowflakes I made for my sister and mom to give as gifts. I put them together in different shapes to see how they joined together.  Kinda like playing with wooden blocks


 

18 Tatting days till Christmas???????

What?  I read somewhere that there are only 18 more days until Christmas.  Time is running out.  I still have to finish a few snowflakes and some tulle tutus for my sister.  Otherwise I'm pretty much set or as good as it gets until the last minute.  There's always last minute stuff.
On a happier note I have a pattern to share.  I wrote it a couple of years ago but never had a good picture to go with it.  I hate trying to tat a pattern with no pictures.  Also, a big thanks to Sherong who told me how to make pdf documents.

Holly Jolly X-mas Tree

Click on tittle for link

Still Dancing

Guess where I was Saturday night?  At the PRINCE concert...Squeeeeeeeeeee!  And it was so fabulous, better than imagined.  That man that needed no opening act to warm up the crowd- he just came out and played.   It was everthing you expect from Prince, his band and his singers.  Better in concert than on the radio.
In case you're wondering what Prince has to do with tatting I used my thread money for this ticket.  No new threads for me.

Found!

My siblings and I are always having a "Who's most like Grandma" contest.  Don't get us wrong, we love her but she has some definite habits.  I think I've just won!
Almost a year ago I drove to my Mom's house and took along a pattern I was working on.  I was using a lovely hand dyed thread that inspired the pattern.  Some time during that weekend I lost the doily and have been looking for it ever since!  I looked in my house, in my mom's house and in my car.  No dice.  In fact, when my mom's basement flooded this fall I took the opportunity to look for it again. 
Well, I finally found it in a bag of flannel in a drawer.   I was going to use the flannel to make a receiving blanket but never did.  Grandma always bought material with the intention of making something and she always shoved things into bags.  When ever she sent something home it was in a bag, in a bag and in a bag (3 bags).  So there's the doily in a random bag, shoved into a bag. Hmmm.


missing doily pinned flat after a year spent rolled up in a ball.